Pandemic Creates Setback For School Supply Project

For nearly two decades, The Cordell School Supply Project has been providing classroom supplies to Cordell students. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has put this year’s project on hold.

The Cordell School Supply Project is organized by the local churches to bring Cordell students everything they need for a successful school year. This collaboration of local ministries has gone through many changes over the years.

The Cordell School Supply Project was founded about 20 years ago by members of the 4th and College Church of Christ, Saint Anne’s Catholic Church and the First Methodist Church. The project was created to help families deal with the monumental cost of school supplies.

It started off small, offering 15 bags of supplies per grade, on a first-come first-served basis. While this did help many members of the community, it couldn’t help everyone. The funding for the project came from the local churches, who did not have enough money to cater to every single student.

A group from the First Methodist Church by the name of FOCUS (Fellowship of Christians United in Service) saw room for improvement. This group decided to step up to the plate and expand the reach of the project.

FOCUS has a primary mission of making a difference in the community. They achieve this mission by providing free dinners at the local park and running the school supply project.

Like many, Brooke Dodd of FOCUS saw a need in the community. She knew her church g r o u p could fill the need for supplies, and make it less o f a burden on students and parents.

“School supplies are expensive, I have two children myself and every year it’s at least seventy dollars per kid for supplies.” Dodd said,” My favorite part of this program is that it takes the pressure off of everyone, and levels the playing field. Everybody has the same supplies, it’s not a matter of what one’s family can afford.”

In 2016 FOCUS began reaching out to local sponsors, such as the FreeMasons, to acquire more supplies for more kids. FOCUS also started holding new fundraisers, such as the Annual Crooked Creek Golf Tournament, to bring in the funds needed to acquire more supplies.

These efforts were a success. The project gained the ability to cater to every student in the Cordell school system. The 4th and Col

The 4th and College Church of Christ stepped away from the project in 2017, leading FOCUS to partner with the Cordell Academic Foundation to carry on the project.

The project has grown substantially since the launch, now having the ability to serve every single elementary student in Cordell Public Schools. This favor helps take the weight off of the teacher’s backs, who often have to pay for supplies out of their own pockets.

The project will not run this year due to an inability to hold fundraisers because of COVID, but Cordell Public Schools has made the elementary supply lists available on their website and Facebook page.

Dodd said she is confident in the group’s ability to bring back the project next year.